I get it. Progressive people worldwide are thrilled to see the back of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a bigoted autocrat who lost the Hungarian election in a landslide to Péter Magyar on Sunday. Here in Canada, even some of the most left-leaning folks I know are applauding Mark Carney’s byelection wins. They are happy he secured a majority government, pushed off an election for a few more years, and successfully sidelined Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre. Thankfully Poilievre will not get a chance to apply his caustic personal style to the work of government anytime soon — or maybe ever again.

Poilievre is not Orbán, although his election campaign dog-whistled some of the same themes. And Carney is not Magyar, although his agenda is far to the right of his predecessor Justin Trudeau. Yet there are similarities in the enthusiastic response among progressive voters to both of these wins.

To see voters reject meanspirited autocrats and far-right pit bulls in favour of parties ruled by decent human beings is heartening. Still it is strange to see lefties rooting so wholeheartedly for Magyar and Carney, leaders who, let’s face it, lean pretty heavily to the right. Watching the US circle the drain in the hands of a corrupt egomaniac has struck fear in our hearts, and lowered the palatability........

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